Apparatus for producing tremolo effects



Jan. 5, 1932. c, o, UF M I 1 839395 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING TREMOLOEFFECTS Filed Aug. 19, 1929 Patented Jan. 5, 1932 CLAYTON o. KAUFFM N,or sAn'rA an; CALIFORNIA APrAnA'rus roe, rnonucme 'mim oro EFFECTSApplication filed August-19, 1929." Serial no; 386,855.

This invention relates to a device or appa:-

'ratus, adapted for use on various stringed instruments where it isdesired toproduce a tremolo efiect or a vibration resulting in a tremoloeffect. i

More particularly, the invention relates to a movable tail-piece forstringed instru ments, whereby the pitch of theisounds produced by thevibratingstrings may be varied so as to produce a tremolo-effect.

' The invention will hereinafter bedescribed' with particular referenceto the application,

of the device of this invention to a portable stringed instrument suchas for example, a banjo. It is to be understood, however, that theinvention is not limited in its application to a portable stringedinstrument, but relates to the production of tremolo effects on all 1nmore detail the construction. of the device.

, stringed instruments, such as for example, mandolins, guitars, banjos,harps or pianos. Tremolo devices have been constructed for use withcertain stringed instruments, but such tremolo devices have" had twomajor,

faults. In the first place, they could not be.

easily operated. Moststringed instruments are operated by plucking thestrings with a movement of the hand at right angles to the,

axis ofthe strings. The tremolo devices of v v the prior art had to beoperated by a move ment of the hand at right angles to'the movementexecuted during playing. Furthermore, the tremolo eifect which wasproduced varied the pitch of the note or sound being emitted by theinstrument, such variationchanging the average pitch to above the normalor desired'pitch or tone. Forexample, if the note a was sounded on astring, the tremolo would cause the pitch to vary be tween a and bgiving an average of effective note equivalent to about a sharp.

An. object ofthis invention is to disclose and provide a means forproducing tremolo effects so that the effective frequency or pitch of adesired note is maintained substantially constant. a i

A still further object is to disclosev and provide means for alternatelyincreasing and decreasing the tension in. a. vibrating string so as tovary the frequency of the vibration from above to below the normalfrequency.

f A still further object is to disclose and pro.- vide an apparatus bymeans of which tremolo effects can be obtained on stringed instruments.v r

Another object of; this invention isto disan close and, provide a devicefor varying the, frequency of vibrations of stringed-instru ments toabove and below normal or desired frequencies, so as. to produce tremoloeffects.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this an invention as well as itsnovel characteljfitics and distinguishing features will become ap parentfrom the followinvdetailed description, reference being ha to theappended drawings, in which: 1

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a banjo equipped with a device embraced b thisinvention. f

Fig. 2 is an end view 0 the banjo showing Fig. 3 is a vertical section,taken along line 7o. 33 of Fig.2. Fig. lis'a plan view, partly insection, of

the device shown in Fig. 2,.the section being.

taken along line 4-4 thereof.

Fig. 5 is a plan view, partly in section, of a 75 mddified form ofdevice. 7

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken along line fi -f Fig. 5. I 1

. As hasbeen stated before, the invention will be described as it mayhoused and ap-. so

plied to a portable stringed instrument, and

slightly curved base 7. The tail-piece 2. is

preferably attached to a stationary member 5 8 through the interventionof suitable elastic spring means As shown in. Figs. 2,3 and 4, thestation ary member 8 may be angular in section and 1 provided with anoutwardly extending lug l) 0L adapted to receive a screw 10 having athreaded end provided with a nut 11, said screw 10 passing through asuitable lug 12 attached to the rim 6 of the musical instrument. Thestationary member 8 is also preferably provided with an extension 13having bifurcated ends 14 and 15. The movable tail-piece 2 is preferablyconnected to the stationary member 13 by means of an elastic means, suchas a tension spring 16, one end of said spring being connected to thestationary member 8 (at portion 13 thereof) as by means of a rivet orbolt 17.

If desired, a strap 18 maybe employed for gripping the end of the a ring16 and retaining it in vibrationless contact with the portion 1.3 of thestationary member 8, the strap 18 being attached to the member 13 bymeans of bolts or rivets 19. The opposed end of the tension spring 16may be connected by suitable means, as for example, the hooks 20 and 21,with the tail-piece In this manner the strings 1 are maintained intension by reason of the spring 16, minor adjustments of tension beingmade in the customary manner by pegs 22 at the head of the instrument.

In order to create a. quavering, tremulous or vibrating tone, means isprovided for mov ing the tail-piece 2 so as to alternately increase ordecrease the tension of the vibrating strings 1, while they are pluckedor otherwise caused to vibrate. Such means may include a member 23preferably consisting of a. heavy spring to which the hooks 20 and 21are attached in any suitable manner, as for example,by welding. Themember 23 has preferably one end firmly anchored as by means of themachine screw 2 1, to a block or other solid portion attached or made apart of the stationary member 8. The block 25 may be attached by meansof machine screws 26 to the end 14 of portion 13 of the stationarymember 8, the screws 26 operating in slots 27 formed in the member 25 soto permit an adjustment of the block 25 longitudinally.

The opposed end of the member 23 may be connected to a holder 28 adaptedto receive an actuating arm 29, said actuating arm 29 being preferablyprovided with a ring 30 adapted to receive one of the lingers of theperson playing the instrument. A set screw 31 may be provided foradjustably positioning: the actuating member 29 in the holder In orderto increase the tension on the head 5 of the instrument, alever arm maybe provided, said arm 32 being connected to the stationary member 8 bymeans of a screw 33 suitably attached to the member 8 as by welding, thescrew passing through an aperture in the member 32.

A nut 34 may be provided for attaching the member 32 to the member 8. Athumb screw 35 may be threadedly mounted in the member 32 and adapted torest against the lower portion of member 8, so as to cause the oppositeend 36 of the member 32 to bear down against the tail piece 2. The end36 of member may be provided with aplurality of grooves 37 extendingtransversely to the strings 1, said grooves 37 being adapted to receivea spacing plate 38 adapted to rest against the tail-piece 2. Thisconstruction permits any desired pressure to be applied to thetail-piece 2 by means of the thumb screw 35, the member 32 acting as alever pivoted on the screw 33 and adjustably positioned by the thumbscrew 35. The entire device may be enclosed by means of a cover 39removably attached to the stationary member 8, or to the bifurcatedportions 1 1 and 15 thereof. For example, the cover 39 may be providedwith a lip lO and a snap portion 41-1 adapted to engage with the edgesof the members 14: and 15.

It will be seen that, after the instrument has been properly tuned byoperation of peas 22, the tail-piece 2 will assume a prcdeter mined postion between the stationary member 8 and the bridge 4. The block memberis then preferably adjusted so that the member 23 assumes a normalposition substantially at right angles to the axis of the strings 1..The instrument may then be played in the normal manner.

If it is desired to produce a tremolo effect. the member 29 is movedback and forth so that the ring 30 describes an arc, an extension ofwhich would cross the strings 1. This are follows the normal movement ofthe hand in playing an instrument of the character describedhereinabove. This motion of member 29 imparts an arcuate or vibratorymovementto the member 23, as indicated by the arrows, said member 23being stationary at one end, namely, the end that is held. in contactwith block 25 and stationary member 8. As a re sult of this vibratingmovement of the memer 23, the tail-piece 2 is moved slightly insubstantially the plane of the strin 1, so to alternately increase anddecrease the tension of the strings 1.

The amplitude of the motion of he tailpiece 2 is very slight andgenerally less than h-th of an inch, althousrh the motion of the member29 at its extreme may be appreciable. namely, 2 to 4 inches. The member38 ing on the tail-piece 2 pivots at its upper edge in the grooves 37 oflever arm 36, and the efore, does not influence the reciprocating motion of the movable tail-piece 2.

In this manner the tension of the vibrating: strings 1 is varied duringoperation of the instrument, the variation being of equal amplitude oneach side of the normal position of the tail-piece.

In this manner the frequency of the vibrations from the strings 1 isvaried from above to below the normal frequency, the average frequenciesor mean frequencies during operation of the device being equivalent tonormal frequency. The tremulous or wavering effect this produced doesnot change the 'meanfrequency of the vibrating strings, but merelycauses said strings to change in pitch from normal to above normal, backto normal, and then below normal. A very pleasing and accurate effect isthus obtained which is not obtainable with any of the known devicesdesigned to obtain a similar result. 7

It is to be understood that although the member 29 as disclosedhereinabove is adapted for manual operation, mechanical means may beprovided for vibrating the member 29 on the member 23.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a modified formof construction is shown. The movabletailpiece 2 is here provided with an extension 43 which is connected bymeans of the tension spring 16 with the stationary member 8. The blockattached to the stationary member 8 is preferably provided with anaperture 44 adapted to receive a member 23 provided with pointed pins 45adapted to be rotatably seated or pivoted in the upper and lowerportions of block 25 enclosing the aperture 44. I

The member 23 may be connected by any suitable means, as for example, aheavy spring member 46, to a suitable actuating means such as the holder28 and the member 29. The member 23' of the spring member 46 may,therefore, pivot at 45. The member 23 is also preferably connected tothe tail-piece 2, a U-shaped member 47 being preferably attached to thelongitudinal extension 43 of the tail-piece 2 in any suitable manner andprovided with recesses adapted to receive a pin 48 carried by the member23. [A reciprocated radial motion of the member 23' on the pivot 45 willthus be translated into a reciprocated longitudinal motion of the tailkpiece 2 by reason of the connection made between the tail-piece 2 andparticularly the U-shaped member 47 with the member 23 by means of thepin 48. I

It has been found that an instrument provided with the device describedhereinabove maintains its tone or correct pitch for a much longer periodof time than an instrument provided with an ordinary stationarytail-piece. The spring 16 apparently equalizes the tension on thestrings and takes care of minor variations which may occur due toelongation of the strings. Furthermore, instruments provided with theelastic flexible and movable tail-piece embraced by this invention canbe subjected to much greater abuse without breaking the strings. If, forexample, one

or more of the strings of an instrument of this character are greatlydisplaced by the operator, they will not break, as the spring 16 givesand thereby the tension or load on the strings is reduced.

Furthermore, instruments provided with this invention are capable ofproducing a greater volume of tone, the entire instrument vibratingunder the influence of thevibrations' of the strings, instead ofimparting such vibrations to the head of the instrument only. 1 l

The purpose of the lever member 32 is, as has beendescribed before, toincrease pressure on'the head 5 through the bridge member 4.- The levermember 32 issparticularly adapted for use on banjos, and other stringedinstruments, such as guitars or mandolins'do not need this particularportion of the device.

It is to be understood that numerous changes and modificationsmay bemade in the construction of the device, and numerous adaptations anduses may be made thereof without departing from the scope of this invention. The invention broadly relates to a device including a movabletail-piece and the provision of meanswhereby the tension'oi' strings ofan instrument may be increased and decreased alternately, by moving atail-piece substantially along the axis of the strings and withoutbending the strings themselves, thereby obviating the tendency for'thestrings to break: All changes and modifications coming within the scopeof the followingclaims are embraced thereby. V

I claim:

1. In a stringed musical instrument, the combination of a tail-pieceadapted to anchor vibrating strings, spring means connected to saidtail-piece and adapted to maintain the V strings under tension, andmeans for moving said tail-piece so as toalternately increase anddecrease the tension of said vibrating strings.

2. Ina stringed musical instrument, the

combination of a tail-piece adapted to anchor V vibrating strings andadapted to be moved in a plane substantially in the plane of saidstrings, spring means connected to said tailpiece and adapted tomaintain the strings under tension, and means for moving said tail-pieceso as to alternately. increase and de crease the tension of saidvibrating strings;

3. In 'a stringed mu'sicalinstrument, the combination of a tail-pieceadapted to receive-an'dhold ends of vibrating strings, an anchor,member, spring means connecting said tail-piece and anchor member andadapted to maintain the strings under tension, and means for moving saidtail-piece substantially in the plane of said strings-so as toalternately increase and decrease the tension of said vibrating strings;

4. In a device for producing tremolo. effects,

on stringedmusical instruments, the combination'of a tail-piece adaptedto receive and hold the ends of vibrating strings, an anchor membersecured to the body of the stringed instrument, spring means, connectingsaid tail-piece and anchor member and adapted to maintain-the stringsunder tension, and

means for moving said tail-piece so as to alternately increase anddecrease the tension of said vibrating strings.

5. In a device for producing tremolo effects on stringed mnsi *alinstrmnents, the combination of a tail-piece adapted to receive and holdthe ends of vibrating strings, an anchor men'iber, spring meansconnecting said tail piece and anchor member and adapted to maintain thestrings under tension, and means for moving said tailpiece so as toalternately increase and decrease the tension of said vibrating strings,said means including a member substantially transverse to thelongitudinal :is of the strings.

6. In a device for producing tremolo effects on stringed musicalinstuments, the combination of a taihpiece adapted to receive and holdthe ends 0' vibrating strings, an anchor member, spring .meansconnecting said tailpiece and anchor member and adapted to maintain thestrings nnder tension, and means for moving said tail-piece so as toalternately increase and decrease the tension of said vibrating strings,sa' means including a member pivotally connected to the anchor member atone end and operably connected to the tail-piece and spring.

7. In a device or producing tremolo effects on stringed musical i1tmments, the combination of a tail-piece adapted to receive and hold theends of vib1'. ;in,q strings, an anchor member, spring means connectingsaid tailpiece and anchor member and adapted to maintain the stringsunder tension, and means for moving said tail-piece so as to alternatelyincrease and decrease the tension oi said vibrating strings, said meansincluding a member pivotally connected to the an chor member at one end,and operably connected to the tail-piece and spring and pro vided at theother end with means for imparting a re iprocating motion thereto.

8. In a devlce "for producing tremolo effects on stringed mnsicelinstrmnents, the combination of a tail-piece adapted to receive and holdthe ends of vibrating strings, said tail piece being movablesubstantially longitudinally of said strings, means for moving saidtail-piece iongitndinally 01"? said strings so as to alternatelyincrease and decrease the tension of said strings, an anchor member andspring means between said last named means and anchor member, adapted tomaintain the the strings under tension.

9. In a device for producing tremolo effects on stringed musicalinstruments, the combination ot a ta" niece adapted to receive and holdthe ends oi vibrating strings, means for moving sail tail-piecesubstantially longitudinally oi the strings so as to alternatelyincrease and decrease the tension of said strin 's, said means includinga member substantially parallel to said strings and movable in an areextending across said strings,

